Pair jailed after horrific choke-hold robbery

Post reporter

Two men from the North West have been jailed after trying to buy alcohol with money they’d stolen by choking their victims.

Callum Hugill, 19, of Wigan Lower Road and Lewis Nash, 18, of HMP Forest Bank have today, Monday 26 March 2018, both been sentenced to 3 years and 4 months in prison for business robbery and personal robbery at Preston Crown Court.

Nash has also been sentenced to an additional 5 years and 4 months for an assault in Lancashire.

At 9pm on Monday 15 January 2018, Hugill and Nash went into an Esso Garage on Woodhouse Lane in Wigan and were spotted by the cashier as they were acting suspiciously.

He walked around the shop to see if anything was missing, at which point the cashier was attacked from behind by Nash, who put him in a choke hold and dragged him to the floor.

As the cashier was losing consciousness, Nash and Hugill demanded access to the till area and kicked him repeatedly, before fleeing with £100, cigarettes, spirits and a phone worth £800.

A short time later, a man was on Frog Lane in Wigan when he was approached by Nash who grabbed him in a choke hold, while Hugill took his cards and phone.

Thirty minutes after the first robbery, the duo were refused service when they tried to buy alcohol at a shop on Gidlow Lane and asked another customer to get it, who also refused.

Nash and Hugill then told the customer they’d “just done an armed robbery” and pulled out the stolen money and phone, which they smashed on the floor, shouting “I’ve just took it from someone.”

The man was concerned and called the police who quickly arrived and detained the men in a flurry of notes, which flew out as officers tried to arrest Nash.

Both Hugill and Nash were later charged with the robbery offences and pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.

Hugill was released on bail and on Facebook he updated his occupation to ‘crime at HMP Forest Bank Prison’, boasting about the fact he’d been released.

Detective Sergeant Philip Housley of GMP’s Wigan borough, said: “This pair showed a complete disregard for the law, violently choking innocent people, just to take a small amount of money.

“The way they boasted about the robberies they’d carried out and threw the stolen items on the floor, despite leaving two people injured, is something they should feel deeply ashamed about.

“I’d like to commend the customer who called the police for his quick thinking, without this, the pair may have gone on to terrorise more people in their malicious streak of robberies.

“Today’s result shows that we will always endeavour to bring criminals to justice in the end.”